Recipe: Aromatic Ginger Paste

A great way to use up large amounts of ginger. The sugar preserves the paste so that it can be stored in the refrigerator for almost one year. Recipe by Verena Hirsch, allmydeer

Ingredients for approx. 5 jars:

• 500 g ginger
• 400 g sugar
• 500 ml water

Instructions:

1. Peel the ginger. You can do this easily by scraping it with the side of a teaspoon.
2. Finely grate the peeled ginger.
3. Place the ginger, sugar and water into a pot and bring briefly to a boil. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves.
4. Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool.
5. For a smoother texture, strain the mixture through a sieve.
6. Put the paste into clean jars and store in the refrigerator. If you want the paste to keep longer, portion it into an ice cube tray and store in the freezer.

How to use your ginger paste:

• Ginger ale: Place one to two teaspoons of ginger paste into a glass, add a squeeze of lemon juice and top up with water. Throw in a few ice cubes for a refreshing summer drink.
• Ginger tea: Place one to 2twoteaspoons of ginger paste into a cup, fill with hot water and stir.
• Gin and tonic: Mix a cocktail with one teaspoon of ginger paste, some carbonated water and gin.
• For baking cakes, biscuits and other baked goods: Ginger paste gives your baked goods a wonderful fragrance, especially in autumn and winter.
• Stir it into porridge for a special hint of flavour.